DISCLAIMER: CORPSE PARTY AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE OWNED BY TEAM GRISGRIS/GRINDHOUSE. ZENKA IS OWNED BY AXEL THE MOON. TORGUE IS OWNED BY GEARBOX SOFTWARE. MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS, PACKER, QUACKENBUSH, RUSH, ANGEL, TERRAN, DUSTIN, FLORA, SYN AND TUNDRA ARE OWNED BY ME.

Author's Note: As you have no doubt noticed, I have separated several of what was once 'Hysteric Birthday Chronicles, now Seven Sachiko Challenges' chapters into their own one shot stories, because 1. I want Sachiko's challenges to be the main centerpiece of the story, and 2. These former chapters are long enough to stand on their own. I will also denote in each of these stories and in every chapter of Seven Sachiko Challenges when these events take place in the grand scheme of things, since they still revolve around each other.

Bear in mind that there will be quite a bit of graphic descriptions, blood and gore in this chapter, so consider this your discretion warning.

This chapter takes place after Play Time.


CHAPTER 2: CHALLENGE 2 - BATTLE ROYALE

Everyone was now gathered back in the auditorium on the stage, and Packer was now outfitted in his Battle Rig, wondering what challenge that Sachiko was going to present to him.

"What do you think Sachiko has in store for Packer-kun?" Ayumi asked.

"No idea, but I doubt it's anything good," Satoshi replied.

Sachiko giggled as she sat on Yoshikazu's shoulders, turning her head toward the emerald-clad warrior.

"All right," she announced, clapping her hands together. "Now that everyone's here, I'm gonna present Packer-kun with his SECOND challenge. But first, it's time for a little surprise…"

She snapped her fingers, and a flash of light blinded everyone for a split second. When the light vanished, Packer gasped as he realized what had just happened. Standing in front of everyone were several members of Packer's outfit, the Knights of the Covenant.

"What? Why are you bringing my friends into this?" Packer inquired.

"Because for the challenge I have for you, you're gonna need all the help you can get," Sachiko replied. "So, Packer-kun, would you be so kind as to introduce us to your comrades in arms?"

The other Knights glanced at Packer in confusion, wondering how they got to where they were. Packer sighed and began introducing each of his fellow Knights. He stepped up to each of them and began naming them off one by one.

"Very well," Packer said, walking up to the first of his fellow Knights. He had blue eyes, red hair and a red patch of hair on his chin. He wore purple armor similar to Packer's, with a tornado emblem as a belt buckle. Two daggers were strapped to his belt. "This is Rush McCloud, a Knight of the Vortex."


KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE

NAME: Rush McCloud

AGE: 25

HEIGHT: 6' 3''

COVENANT RANK: Knight-Paladin

ELEMENT: Wind

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Karate, Jeet Kune Do

WEAPON: Twin Ivory Daggers

KNOWN SPELLS: Infernos, Infermore, Infermost, Mach Punch, Air Blade, Hurricane, Windstorm, Tornado, Cyclone, Aeroblast

KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: VacuSlash, Cyclone Slash, Sonic Thrust, Super Sonic Thrust, Hurricane Thrust


The next one in line had gold and ebony armor, with a long scarf wrapped around his neck, a sword strapped to his back, and a dragon emblem as his belt buckle. He had spiky blonde hair, green eyes, and a scar across one eye.

"A member of the Knights of the Heavenly Light and our resident Dragon Knight, Dustin Saint," Packer continued.


KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE

NAME: Dustin Saint

AGE: 15

HEIGHT: 5' 6''

COVENANT RANK: Knight-Errant

ELEMENT: Light/Dragon

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Jeet Kune Do, Dragon

WEAPON: Dragonsabre, Dragon's Tail

KNOWN SPELLS: Light – First Aid, Blessing, Aurora Punch, Photon, Boot of Justice, Outburst, Moonblast, Judgment, Holy Lance, Hyper Beam

Dragon – Dragon Kick, Dragon Punch, Dragonflame, Dragon Spark, Dragonrage, Raging Dragon Kick, Dragon Blast, White Dragon Lightning

KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: EvilSlash, Shining Slash, Light Spear, Light Spear Cannon, DrakSlash, Meteorain, Dragon Slash


The next Knight Packer walked up to had ruby-colored armor on, except it was sleeveless. He was wearing elbow pads and spiked wrist bands. He was tall and muscular, with red sideburns and red hair that was styled into a buzz cut. A fire emblem made up his belt buckle. He was carrying a giant battle axe under his arms.

(AN: The battle axe looks like the Nordic Battle Axe from Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.)

"A Knight of the Flame, John Quackenbush," Packer said.


KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE

NAME: John Quackenbush

AGE: 27

HEIGHT: 6' 3''

COVENANT RANK: Knight-Errant

ELEMENT: Fire

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Kickboxing, Muay Thai

WEAPON: Nanbanfu Battleaxe

KNOWN SPELLS: Blaze, Fireball, Eruption, Pyro Punch, Spiral Flare, Fire Charge, Lava Punch, Flame Lance, Explodet

KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: Arc Slash, Earth Splitter, FireSlash, Super FireSlash


The next Knight in line had short blue hair, icy blue eyes and was wearing sapphire-colored armor, with what appeared to be a katana strapped to his back. A snowflake emblem made up the belt buckle he wore.

"A Knight of the Frost, Tundra," Packer introduced.


KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE

NAME: Tundra

AGE: 20

HEIGHT: 5' 7''

COVENANT RANK: Knight

ELEMENT: Ice

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Ninjitsu, Aikido

WEAPON: Ice Katana

KNOWN SPELLS: Crackle, Ice Blast, Ice Spreader, Ice Beam, Super Ice Beam, Blizzard, Absolute Zero

KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: IceSlash, Spinning IceSlash, Super IceSlash, Frozen Fissure


The Knight next to Tundra was wearing similar armor, except it was brown in color, much like his skin, hair and chocolate-colored eyes. A giant hammer was resting on his shoulder, a blade-like projectile was strapped to his belt, and his belt buckle resembled that of a mountain.

Next to him was a young girl with deep brown hair and green eyes. She wore armor similar to the other Knights, molded for her body type. She carried a bow in her hand, with a quiver of arrows strapped to her back. What appeared to be a whip made of a vine was strapped to her belt, and her belt buckle resembled that of a flower.

"These two represent the Knights of the Earth, Terran Green and Flora Daniels," Packer said.


KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE

NAME: Terran Green

AGE: 19

HEIGHT: 5' 11''

COVENANT RANK: Knight

ELEMENT: Earth

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Wrestling, Boxing

WEAPON: Quake Hammer, Razor Wind

KNOWN SPELLS: Stalagmite, Acid Blast, Rock Tomb, Rolling Boulder, Boulder Toss, Boulder Slam, Quake, Fissure, Earthquake

KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: Quake Smash, Shockwave, Z Slash, Grinder, Slice 'n' Dice


KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE

NAME: Flora Daniels

AGE: 24

HEIGHT: 4' 11

COVENANT RANK: Knight

ELEMENT: Earth

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Kickboxing

WEAPON: Tek Bow, Vine Whip

KNOWN SPELLS: Acid Blast, Spore, Earthquake, Solarblast

KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: Arrow Storm, Whiplash


Next to Flora was another female Knight, only this one looked like she was made of pure ivory. She had bleached-blonde hair and ivory eyes. She held a staff in her hands, and her belt buckle resembled that of the sun.

"Another member of the Knights of the Heavenly Light, and our resident Healer, Angel Quackenbush, John's wife," Packer said.


KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE

NAME: Angel Quackenbush

AGE: 22

HEIGHT: 5' 1''

COVENANT RANK: Healer

ELEMENT: Light

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Karate

WEAPON: Angel Staff

KNOWN SPELLS: First Aid, Healing Circle, Revitalize, Detox, Holy Aura

KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: Angel Spark, Plasma Shot


Next to Angel was a Knight with long black hair tied in a ponytail, a beard and a mustache. He was wearing jet-black armor, and like Tundra, had a katana strapped to his back. His belt buckle resembled that of a lightning bolt.

"A Knight of the Storm, Zenka Shinojin," Packer introduced.


KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE

NAME: Zenka Shinojin

AGE: 17

HEIGHT: 6' 2''

COVENANT RANK: Knight-Errant

ELEMENT: Lightning

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Jujitsu, Long Fist

WEAPON: Zangetsu

KNOWN SPELLS: Thunderbolt, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Blast, Thunder Blade, Thunder Rage, Lightning Nuke

KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: BoltSlash, Super BoltSlash, Lightning Blade, Super Lightning Blade


And finally, standing next to Zenka was a female Knight, wearing armor that had a mix of black and red. She had long black hair with tints of red in it, and looked of Chinese decent. She was carrying a death scythe in her hands, and her belt buckle resembled a skull and crossbones. All of the Knights had the sapphire shield emblem of the Covenant on their chest, near their neck.

"Last, but not least, a Knight of the Darkness, Syn," Packer finished.


KNIGHT OF THE COVENANT PROFILE

NAME: Syn

AGE: 23

HEIGHT: 5' 1''

COVENANT RANK: Knight-Paladin

ELEMENT: Dark/Chaos

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Tai Chi, Tiger Fist

WEAPON: Death Scythe

KNOWN SPELLS: Demon Summon, Devil Summon, Dark Beam, Hand of Hell, Malice Beam, Chaos Blast, Skull Fireball, Dark Portal, Telekinesis, Chaos Bomb

KNOWN WEAPON TECHNIQUES: Scythe Slash, Tele-Chopper, Somersault Slash, Death Slash, Malice Slash


Sachiko clapped her hands together in glee.

"Ten Knights altogether," she shouted happily. "This should make for a fun challenge."

"Packer, what the hell is going on here? Why are we here?" Quackenbush asked.

"Welcome to Heavenly Host, you guys," Packer replied. Rush arched an eyebrow.

"Your mission?" he inquired.

"Yep, and it's a little different than I was expecting," Packer explained.

"What's our role in this?" Syn asked.

"I'm celebrating my birthday today," Sachiko retorted. "But in addition to that, Packer-kun made a challenge to me. If he completes seven challenges I lay out for him, then I will let everybody that you see here go free. But if he fails even once, then everyone must stay… forever."

"Yep, that sounds like Packer, alright," Dustin joked.

"So, what's my second challenge?" Packer asked.

"Your second challenge… is the Battle Royale," Sachiko replied. "You and your fellow Knights will be doing battle right here in this auditorium, against various monsters of my choosing. Your objective is simple in theory: Stay alive and kill everything that moves."

"Seems simple enough," Rush remarked.

"Ah, but it won't be that simple," Sachiko retorted as she snapped her fingers. The auditorium was suddenly surrounded by two red force fields, one surrounding the center of the auditorium and one shielding everyone on the stage. She snapped her fingers again, and the space in between the two barriers was suddenly filled with monsters. Zombies were on of the monster groups Sachiko had chosen, and were the most common monster they would have to face in this battle. Reanimated corpses of the deceased, these savage beasts would stop at nothing to obtain its singular goal: human flesh.

In another corner of the arena was a group of monsters known as youma. Angel had to turn her head in disgust, for the youma were the most hideous creatures she had ever seen, even in her career as a Knight of the Covenant. Flying on leathery wings, with lizard-like tails and scales ranging in color from a sickly green to an ugly brown, their feet and hands twisted into three- and four-fingered claws, they attacked everything and everyone that came near, blasting the area with large spheres of black energy. Fortunately, they couldn't penetrate the force field holding them.

"That's… a lot of monsters," Tundra observed.

"Yep, and you've got to kill them all," Sachiko added. "And considering how powerful all ten of you are, I'd like to see some stylish kills from all of you. Think you can do that?"

"Do we have a choice?" Terran asked.

"No, not really," Sachiko replied. Packer sighed.

"Well, if that's the name of the game, then let's play," Packer said. "All right, Sachiko. Release the hounds."

"As you wish," Sachiko said before snapping her fingers, causing the inner force field to vanish, releasing the monsters into the auditorium. Packer looked over at his fellow Knights.

(Like A Glint of Light from Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World begins playing in the background)

"It's time to kick ass," Packer said. The other Knights nodded, and together, they charged for the force field, passing through it and into the arena. The monsters quickly took notice and began either lumbering or flying toward the Knights.

On the stage, Seiko watched the battle unfold with worried eyes.

"You think they'll be alright?" Seiko asked worriedly. Suddenly, as if to answer her question, the severed head of a youma smashed into the force field in a bloody mess. Yoshiki walked up beside her, a confident look on his face.

"Yeah, I think they'll be fine," he replied. "From what I'm seeing, they live for this kind of thing."

Seiko nodded before turning her head back toward the battle taking place in front of her.


Unsheathing his Ice Katana, Tundra ran at a group of monsters, taking down several of them with a few well-placed slashes, slicing through his opponents like butter. He quickly powered up a spell and aimed it at another group of the vile creatures.

"ICE BEAM!"

A blue beam shot out of his outstretched hand, freezing several of his opponents in ice.

"ICESLASH!"

Swinging his katana around, he shattered each of their heads in one slice, their blood splattering everywhere.

Hearing a screech behind him, he turned to see a youma rushing at him, claws outstretched. Thinking fast, he used his powers to slide into the youma, sending it tumbling into the air. He quickly powered up another Ice spell and used it to instantly turn the youma into ice, shattering its body and encasing its head in a block of ice.

After watching Tundra dispatch several more zombies, another youma turned its attention toward him. It powered up a black sphere of energy and launched it at the ice warrior. Sensing the attack, Tundra dodged the energy blast and came back with one of his own.

"ICE BLAST!"

The ice ball struck the youma and froze it solid. Tundra powered up a second Ice Blast and launched it at the frozen youma. It struck its upper torso, shattering it into pieces, a geyser of blood spitting out of the frozen lower torso.

Three more youma approached Tundra. They began swiping at him with their claws, but Tundra parried each one with his sword. Thinking fast, he powered up another spell and aimed at the ground.

"ICE SPREADER!"

The blast hit the ground and formed a wall of ice between himself and the three youma. As the youma hesitated, Tundra stood back as Terran suddenly jumped in from out of nowhere and smashed the ice wall with his Quake Hammer, causing fragments of the wall to impale the creatures, causing them to scream in pain as the ice shards pierced their upper body and face, killing them.

"Thanks, Terran," Tundra said. Terran saluted his teammate.

"Anytime, Ice-bro," Terran replied, jumping away to attack another group of monsters.

Spinning around, Tundra took out another group of zombies with his katana, before stabbing another youma in the chest with his katana. Switching to a dagger-like position, he stabbed the youma multiple times in the chest before imbedding the sword in his opponent's head, killing it instantly.

Forming jagged ice on his knuckles, he intercepted another youma before it could attack him and delivered a series of devastating punches to the youma's chest and face, each punch to the face resulting in a shower of blood. After winding up for one last shot, Tundra saw the youma was dead on its feet and simply pushed it down with his finger, before turning and extracting his katana from the dead youma it was buried in. Turning around, he stabbed another youma in the chest with the sword, only this time, he wrenched upward, slicing the youma's upper body in half in a shower of blood.

"Feel death's cold touch, foul demons," Tundra said.


Taking a defensive stance, Angel held her staff in front of her as several zombies approached. Swinging the staff, she connected with each of their heads before spinning around and delivering a back roundhouse kick, connecting with every zombie head and knocking them to the ground.

Suddenly, she heard a screeching noise behind her. Turning around, she could see a youma approaching her quickly. As the youma swiped at her with its claws, Angel ducked underneath by dropping to her knees. With lightning reflexes, she set her staff on her legs, gathered light energy into both hands, and thrust upward in an upward double axe handle, striking the youma in the crotch and popping its eyes out of its head in a shower of blood. Screaming in agony, it fell back onto the hardwood floor, where its motions finally stopped.

Still kneeling, she noticed a pack of zombies closing in on her. Enveloping herself in light, she rolled across the floor at breakneck speed, separating the legs from the zombies' bodies in a shower of congealed blood. Leaping back to her feet, she powered up one of her healing spells and aimed it at the zombies.

"HEALING CIRCLE!"

Suddenly, a ball of light appeared over the zombies. It formed a circle of light around them, and they howled as the holy light burned through them, reducing them to a smoldering ash.

Another youma attacked Angel with its claws, but Angel parried each attack with her staff. Thinking fast, she swung the staff around, catching the youma in the head and spinning it around so that she was facing its back. She was quick to power up a spell from her staff.

"ANGEL SPARK!"

Suddenly, a ball of light erupted from the staff's head, completely going through the youma's head, leaving a gaping hole where its face once was. It fell to its knees and then face first onto the floor, dead.

As another youma attacked her, Angel was quick to go into the splits, and much like she did before, gathered light energy into her fist and drove it upward into the youma's privates. This time, the force of the blow caused the creature's head to separate from its body, crimson flowing from its neck like a geyser before falling over.

Angel parried several attacks from another youma, before countering with a front roundhouse, followed by a back roundhouse, staggering the ugly brute. Not wasting any time, she was quick to power up another Light spell.

"REVITALIZE!"

Normally meant as a healing spell, against youmas, it served as a brutal attack that burned through their flesh, including the one that was unfortunate enough to be caught in the showering light's grasp. There was nothing left of its body but fine ash.

After dispatching several more zombies with her staff, she caught the attention of another youma, who came flying at her. It took a swipe at her, but she dodged underneath it. Waiting for it to land, she charged at the beast, striking it in the chest with her staff before nailing it with a Light charged uppercut, decapitating her foe.

Two more youma came charging at her, launching dark energy blasts at her. Repelling the attacks with her staff, she was quick to charge it up and launch its most powerful spell.

"PLASMA SHOT!"

The first shot blew a hole in the first youma's stomach, killing it. The second shot found its mark on the second youma's left arm, blowing it off. As it screeched in pain, Angel took aim and was on target as her third shot struck the youma's head, completely destroying it and killing the youma instantly. Angel sighed as she brushed herself off.

"Man, this is more fighting than I've seen in a long time. Hope it doesn't ruin my complexion," Angel remarked.


Using his mastery at Jujitsu and Long Fist combined with his electric powers, Zenka was making short work of large groups of zombies. From his roundhouse kicks and punches to his powerful Lightning Blast, hordes of the undead were falling at his hand. This, consequently, caught the attention of several youma, who were quick to engage him in battle.

Sensing them approaching, Zenka turned toward them just as one of them commenced their attack, swiping at him with its claws. Blocking its attacks, Zenka unleashed a volley of his own, landing several punches on the youma's face. The last punch spun the youma around, during which Zenka grabbed it by the shoulders and slammed it down to the ground. Following through, he viciously stomped on the youma's face, crushing its skull.

Quickly turning toward the other youma, he quickly unsheathed Zangetsu and stabbed the youma in the chest before wrenching the sword upward, slicing the youma in half from the waist up. Not stopping his attack, he was quick to power up a Lightning spell.

"RAIHA! (THUNDER BLADE!)"

Suddenly, a sword made of pure lightning came crashing down from the sky and sprayed its electric influence outward like a grenade, electrocuting several more youma and zombies in the process. Fast like the element he specializes in, Zenka used Zangetsu to slice through several zombies, severing their bodies in a diagonal formation.

As a flying youma tried to attack him, Zenka used his lightning powers to propel himself skyward in a powerful attack.

Borutosurasshu

"BORUTOSURASSHU! (BOLTSLASH!)"

Imbuing Zangetsu with lightning, Zenka sliced through the youma like a hot knife through butter, causing both halves to spin away from each other in a crimson mess. Not stopping his attack, Zenka powered up another spell.

"KAMINARI NO IKARI! (THUNDER RAGE!)"

This time, multiple lightning bolts came raining down, striking several zombies as well as youma and electrifying them, killing them instantly.

Spinning around, Zenka struck another youma in the face with a roundhouse kick, stunning it momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, Zenka grabbed it by the neck and lifted it up into the air, summoning his powers once again.

"INAZUMA! (LIGHTNING BOLT!)"

As the lightning coursed through the youma, the charge was so powerful that it ended up exploding the youma's head, ending its life. Throwing the body onto the ground, he quickly powered up another spell and aimed it at another approaching youma.

"KAMINARI BURASUTO! (LIGHTNING BLAST!)"

The lightning sprayed from his hands in a cone-like pattern, slicing through the youma and sending his upper half far away from his lower half.

As another youma came at him, Zenka swung his sword around, catching the youma in the neck and decapitating him. As the youma's head flew upward, Zenka sliced through the youma's upper body twice with Zangetsu, before the head came back down and crashed into the body, causing it to split open like a flower.

Turning to see a large group of youma rushing at him, Zenka gathered all of his power into one, massive blast.

"KAMINARI KAKUHEIKI! (LIGHTNING NUKE!)"

Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning struck down where the group of youma were. They screamed as the lightning detonate in one massive, electric blast, leaving behind a miniature mushroom cloud and the various parts of all the youma. Zenka ran a hand through his hair as he surveyed the battlefield.

"Now that's how you deep fry a monster," Zenka quipped.


Taking a defensive stance, Rush prepared himself for the group of monsters looking to intercept him. He connected with three devastating punches on a zombie, knocking it down, before striking another zed in the chest with a mid-right kick, followed by a side high kick, striking the zombie underneath the chin and snapping its neck. He blocked several incoming slashes from a youma before hitting back with several straight punches to the chest, followed by an uppercut, staggering the youma momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, Rush quickly powered up a Wind spell.

"INFERNOS!"

Spinning around like a tornado, he created a column of wind that carried the youma into the air and separated its limbs from its body.

As another youma rushed in to attack, Rush blocked its swipe before wrapping his right leg around the youma's neck. He spun around and delivered a powerful jumping roundhouse kick that separated the youma's head from its body.

Hearing a screech, he turned to see a large group of youma coming towards him. He glanced off to the side and saw Quackenbush fighting off a group of zombies with his battle axe.

"Hey, Quack! Time for a firenado!" he called out. Quackenbush turned to him and noticed the group of youma, nodding in affirmation.

"Roger that, McCloud! Let's do it!" Quackenbush replied. Rush nodded and quickly powered up another Wind spell.

"TORNADO!"

Suddenly, a large tornado materialized on top of the youma, carrying them into its vortex. Looking to finish the combo, Quackenbush powered up a Fire spell of his own.

"FIREBALL!"

A ball of flame erupted from Quackenbush's hands and struck the tornado, instantly turning it into a firenado. The youma inside screamed in their death throes as they were incinerated.

Turning toward the next group of creatures, Rush grabbed his twin ivory daggers, slicing through several zombies with ease. He jumped onto a youma and sliced through its neck with both blades, sending its head spinning away from its body. Seeing a flying youma coming at him, Rush leaped off the headless youma's body and sliced the flying youma in half with his daggers, both halves crashing to the ground with a sickening splash. Still in mid-air, he zeroed in on a youma on the ground as he powered up another spell.

"MACH PUNCH!"

Using the power of Wind, he propelled himself toward the youma at breakneck speed, punching through the youma with such force that the entire upper body disintegrated into nothing but bloody pulps. The lower half collapsed to the ground.

Twirling his daggers, Rush ran at another youma, jumping off its chest and into the air. As the youma looked up to find him, Rush stabbed it in the neck with one of his daggers. Landing on his feet and extracting the dagger, he impaled the youma in the back of the neck with it, ending its existence.

Extracting the dagger, he suddenly turned and tossed it at another youma, impaling it in the head. As the youma staggered dead on its feet, Rush ran over, extracted the blade, and proceed to stab another youma demon several times in the chest before bringing his ivory blade crashing down onto its skull, killing it.

Another youma tried to get the drop on Rush as it came down from the sky, but Rush managed to roll out of the way in time as it struck the ground where he was. Raising his daggers, he quickly powered up another Wind spell and ran at the vile creature.

"SUPER SONIC THRUST!"

Using the power of Wind to increase his speed, Rush impaled the monster over a dozen times before finally letting it fall to the ground, crimson seeping through all the holes in its body.

Not stopping his attack, Rush turned and launched one of his ivory daggers at yet another youma, impaling it in the neck. As the youma struggled for air, Rush flipped his other dagger to where he was pinching the tip and launched it at the youma, striking it in the face, ceasing its movements as it fell back on its back, death's grip taking hold of it.

"That's what happens when you don't head a tornado warning," Rush quipped.


Terran smiled as he twirled his Quake Hammer, eyeing a group of monsters not far from him.

"Let's rock!" he roared. Running at the creatures, he brought his hammer down on one zombie's head, shattering it. Not stopping there, he swung the hammer like a bat and struck another zombie in the chest, sending it flying backwards into another group of zed, knocking them all down.

Hearing a youma screech behind him, Terran quickly powered up an Earth spell.

"STALAGMITE!"

Just before the youma could reach him, three stalagmites burst from the ground and impaled the youma in the back and head. As it twitched in its death throes, Terran brought his hammer down on its head, eviscerating it.

Taking out his Razor Wind projectile, he tossed it at another group of enemies, decapitating several zombies as well as youma. Not stopping there, he quickly powered up another spell.

"ACID BLAST!"

Holding out his hand, Terran sprayed another group of youma with a highly corrosive acid. They screamed as they were literally melted into nothing but a puddle.

Suddenly, a flying youma tried to attack Terran, but unfortunately for the youma, the Earth Knight saw him coming. He leaped into the air and caught the youma out of its flight, bringing it down on his knee in a devastating backbreaker maneuver, snapping its spine.

Noticing a large group of youma quickly approaching, Terran used his powers to form stone shoes on their feet, locking them to the ground. With his adversaries immobilized, he quickly powered up another spell.

"ROCK TOMB!"

Suddenly, two giant stone walls burst out of the ground on both sides of the youma group. With his Earth powers, Terran slowly cause the stone slabs to close on each other, the youma panicking as they tried to escape to no avail. Finally, Terran clapped his hands together, and the stone slabs smashed into each other, crushing the youma into a fine crimson liquid.

Meanwhile, his Razor Wind continued to fly around the battlefield, cutting down zeds and youma demons alike. Locating his rapidly moving projectile, Terran gave it a command.

"Z SLASH!"

Suddenly, the bladed weapon sliced through a youma in a z pattern, turning the youma into three separate parts.

"GRINDER!"

Terran issued another command, and the Razor Wind buried itself in another youma's head, slicing it in half. Its work complete, it flew back toward Terran, where he caught it and reattached it to his belt.

Tightening his grip on his Quake Hammer, Terran could see several more youma trying to surround him, knowing that they wouldn't be able to take him on singlehandedly. Grinning to himself, Terran powered up his hammer and launched himself into the air.

"SHOCKWAVE!"

Coming back down, he slammed the Quake Hammer against the floor, causing a shockwave to erupt all around him. The unfortunate youma were caught in its wake, and all of their legs were disintegrated by the incredible blast.

Knocking several zeds aside with his hammer, Terran jumped into the air, connecting with several kicks on a youma's head before bringing his foot down forcefully, crushing the youma's head as it impacted the ground underneath Terran's boot. Following up the attack, Terran powered up another Earth spell.

"BOULDER TOSS!"

Suddenly, a small boulder appeared in his hand, and he quickly tossed it like a baseball at another attacking youma. The stone struck the youma in the head, separating it from its body. It collapsed to its knees, the boulder remaining in place where its head used to be.

As another youma attack with its sharp claws, Terran blocked the attack and countered with a punch to the face.

"QUAKE!"

He followed up with a quickly-powered spell that shook the earth at the youma's feet, snapping one of its legs and causing it to fall to the ground, clutching its leg in pain. Finishing the deadly combo, Terran launched a Stalagmite spell that impaled the youma in the back of the head. Not stopping, he brought his Quake Hammer down on another youma, smashing through its upper body and separating its head from the torso in a bloody mess.

Suddenly, he was struck in the chest by a black energy ball, staggering him back. Glancing up, he noticed another winged youma launching energy blasts at him. Growling, he summoned another boulder and launched it at the youma, catching it in the chest. Leaping into the air, Terran grabbed the youma by the arms and threw it down on the ground, where it was impaled by a stalagmite that Terran had summoned while he was jumping.

Landing back on his feet, Terran noticed a particularly large group of zombies and youma converging on his position. Smiling to himself, he turned to see Packer fighting off several zombies with his various powers.

"Hey, Packerman! It's time to light the fireworks!" he shouted. Packer turned to him and nodded.

"Whenever you're ready," Packer replied. Putting his hammer away, Terran focused his powers once more. A large boulder appeared in his hands.

"ROLLING BOULDER!"

With incredible strength, Terran launched the boulder at the large monster force like a bowling ball. As it sped toward its target, Packer quickly powered up a Fire spell.

"SACRED FIRE!"

A large fireball erupted from Packer's outstretched hands. It sped toward the boulder and struck it, igniting it. Leaving a trail of flame behind it, it reached the group of monsters and exploded, taking the entire group with it in a brilliant display of fire and stone fragments. Blood and bits of youma and zed rained down onto the battlefield as Terran dusted himself off.

"Yeah, that's right! Tremble like the Earth!" Terran roared.


Syn smirked in amusement as a youma screamed at her.

"Don't think because I'm a girl doesn't mean that I can't kick your ass," Syn said. Emphasizing her point, she quickly attacked the youma, launching a right punch followed by a knee strike to the gut. As the youma doubled over, Syn nailed it with an uppercut, staggering it backward. She hit two high kicks to the face before finishing the combo by tackling the beast and pummeling its face in with Dark-enhanced punches. A massive hole remained where its face used to be.

Grabbing her death scythe, Syn used her Telekinesis to forcefully expel a youma's skeleton from its body before spinning around and slicing through another youma's legs. Thinking fast, she quickly powered up a Dark spell.

"DEMON SUMMON!"

Suddenly, a demon with a scythe of its own appeared in front of a youma. It buried its scythe in the youma's chest and wrenched upward, slicing it in half vertically from the waist up.

"DEVIL SUMMON!"

Syn used her summon powers again, this time causing a fiery demon to appear from the ground and grabbed a youma by the waist. As the youma struggled to free itself, the demon exploded, leaving nothing behind except the youma's severed head.

Expertly twirling her scythe around her, Syn began carving through hordes of zombies like they were made of rice paper. As a youma tried to attack her from behind, Syn powered up another spell.

"DARK PORTAL!"

Suddenly, a portal opened beneath her and she fell through it. The youma stopped, wondering what happened. It was the last thought to go through its head before it exploded by way of a Dark-powered dropkick from Syn. The headless body collapsed to the ground as Syn focused her powers again.

"DARK BEAM!"

Holding out her hand, she unleashed a powerful blast that blew a gaping hole in the chest of another youma demon. Pressing the attack, Syn used another Dark spell.

"HAND OF HELL!"

Suddenly, a skeleton hand came crashing down on another youma, crushing it underneath. Syn continued her attack by slicing through several more youma with her death scythe, slicing them in half at the waist.

"MALICE BEAM!"

Syn raised her hand and blasted a powerful red beam at another youma, striking it in the lower body and blasting it apart in a crimson mass. Running at another youma, she quickly powered up a different kind of spell.

"CHAOS BLAST!"

She hit the youma with a jump kick, and followed up with a devastating blast of green energy that blew the skin off the youma's torso. Using her Chaos powers, she grabbed two more youma in its powerful hold. Turning them both over, she drove one into the ground, like a telekinetic piledriver, destroying its head, while she used her Chaos abilities to tear the other youma in half.

"SKULL FIREBALL!"

An attack fused with the powers of Dark and Chaos, Syn launched the energy-fueled skull at a youma demon, where it physically transplanted itself where its head was, blowing it to smithereens.

Smiling to herself, Syn turned toward a group of youma, who began cowering as they noticed that she was gazing in their direction. As they turned to flee, Syn powered up one last attack.

"CHAOS BOMB!"

Launching a green energy ball at the youma, it detonated on top of them, destroying them all in a green, bloody mess. Syn twirled her scythe and smiled at her handiwork.

"How's it feel to get your ass kicked by a girl?" Syn quipped.


Flora ran across the auditorium and dropkicked a zombie right into several of its compatriots, before powering up an Earth spell.

"ACID BLAST!"

A large spray of acid was expelled from her hands, melting the group of zombies as they moaned from the pain, leaving nothing but a pile of green goop behind.

Turning her attention to a youma as it tried to attack her, Flora countered with a mid-kick to the chest followed by a right high kick, catching the youma in the face. As it staggered back, Flora followed up with two spinning back fists before going into a handstand, grabbing the youma with her legs, and throwing it over her at an odd angle, causing it to land on its neck, snapping it.

As another youma closed in, Flora took out her Vine Whip and wrapped it around her opponent's neck, before flipping over it and pulling the vine taunt, causing it to tear through the youma's neck and decapitating it. Not stopping, she ran at a zombie and jumped at, grabbing it by the head and slamming it to the ground, also decapitating it.

As a group of zed surrounded her, Flora quickly powered up another Earth spell.

"EARTHQUAKE!"

Flora slammed her fist into the ground, causing a massive shockwave that destroyed the zombies' legs around her, allowing her to easily finish them off one at a time.

Sensing another youma attacking from behind, Flora spun around and extended her whip outward, its sharp point stabbing through the youma's chest twice before stabbing it in the face, leaving a sizable hole behind as the now dead creature collapsed to the ground.

As a flying youma tried to get the drop on her, Flora leaped into the air and grabbed onto it. She placed her feet against the youma and pushed it toward the ground with such force that when it slammed the ground, it's upper body disintegrated, leaving behind just the lower body, head and arms.

As two more youma approached, Flora powered up another Acid Blast and sprayed both of them in the face, melting their skin off as they screamed in pain. Eventually, one of collapsed to the ground, never to move again, while Flora ran up and forcefully pulled the other's skull apart, killing it instantly.

Putting away her whip and grabbing her Tek Bow, she grabbed an arrow, took aim at a youma, and fired. The arrow nailed the youma in the chest, forcefully removing its heart through its back. As another youma tried to attack, Flora leaped off of its head and launched another arrow at another youma, striking it in the head. Turning around, she powered up another spell and aimed it at the youma she jumped off of.

"SPORE!"

A cloud of yellow dust enveloped the youma's face, causing it to grab its eyes in pain. Seizing the opportunity, Flora swung her bow like a baseball bat, striking the youma in the head and causing it to spin at an unnatural angle, snapping its neck and ending its life.

Not stopping her attack, she went into a side somersault, bringing her legs down onto another youma, crushing its head. Finishing her combo, she backflip-kicked another youma demon, separating its head from its body. When she landed, she extracted three arrows from her quiver and fired them at the head, all three finding their mark. The head landed on the ground, the arrows sticking through its eyes and mouth.

"Thanks, you guys. I really needed the target practice," Flora laughed.


Dustin danced around as he prepared to begin his attack. As a youma approached him, he responded with a kick to the knee, followed by a clubbing blow to the back as he powered up an attack.

"DRAGON KICK!"

Suddenly, his body glowed gold as he launched a backflip kick that connected with the youma's head, decapitating it instantly. Continuing his devastating attack, he quickly powered up another Dragon spell.

"DRAGON PUNCH!"

His fist blazed with fire as he ran at another youma and delivered a devastating leaping uppercut, also separating its head from its body. As he targeted another youma demon, he unsheathed his Dragonsabre and sliced one of its arms off, while he used his Dragon Whip to sever the other arm, and finished the attack by slicing through the youma's neck with the Dragonsabre.

Putting his sword away for the moment, Dustin ran at another youma, and with his Dragon power activated, he speared the youma in the chest, separating its torso from the lower half. Turning toward another youma, he hit it in the face with a right palm strike, followed by a left hook and finishing with a split-legged jumping back roundhouse, decapitating yet another youma. He let out a small chuckle.

Suddenly, several black energy balls struck the ground near him. He turned and saw two more youmas fast approaching him, launching energy blasts at him. Dodging the blasts, he glowed with light once again as he ran at them.

"BOOT OF JUSTICE!"

He launched a shadow version of himself at one of the youma. It struck the demon in the chest with a devastating kick, splitting the youma in half at the waist. The other youma stopped its attack momentarily as it tried to shake off the shock of seeing its compatriot eviscerated in front of it. Taking advantage, Dustin powered up another Dragon spell.

"RAGING DRAGON KICK!"

Suddenly, his body began to glow a hostile red, and he launched into a much more powerful version of his Dragon Kick. This time, the force of the impact completely destroyed the youma's torso and sent its head flying high into the sky, eventually landing on the ground with a sickening thud.

Extracting his Dragonsabre, he launched it at the ground near another youma. It struck the hardwood floor, causing the youma to stare at it in confusion. Suddenly, it launched itself into the air, slicing the youma in half in a shower of blood. Flipping in the air, in landed back in Dustin's sheath.

Blocking an incoming strike from a youma, Dustin delivered several knee strikes before flipping over it and snapping its arm, causing it to cry out in pain. Suddenly, Dustin's Dragon Whip extended out from his wrist band, and he whipped it into the youma's legs, severing them. As the youma squirmed in pain, Dustin put it out of its misery with a vicious stomp to the head.

As he carved through a group of zombies with the Dragon Whip, Dustin turned his attention to another youma. Powering up his Dragon Punch, his fist found its mark in the youma's chest, putting a sizable hole in it. Not stopping there, he extended his Dragon Whip and sliced the youma's legs off.

As another youma demon came in for an attack, Dustin quickly spun around and delivered a spinning back fist version of the Dragon Punch, causing the youma's body to split in half at the torso. Noticing another youma approaching, he quickly powered up another spell.

"DRAGONFLAME!"

He pointed his hands at the youma, and fire began spewing forth from them, like a flamethrower, quickly burning through the youma, reducing it to ash.

Hearing a loud screech behind him, Dustin turned and noticed a large group of the youma coming at him. Smiling to himself, he powered up one last attack.

"DRAGON BLAST!"

A large ball of fire and light appeared in his hands. Aiming at the youma, he launched the fireball at them. Before they could even react, the fireball exploded, taking the entire group with it. Dustin ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair and scoffed.

"That's what happens when you try to screw with a Dragon Knight!" he yelled.


Pumped up and ready for battle, Quackenbush instantly lit his fist on fire and brought it down on a zombie in a superman punch, exploding its upper body. Grabbing another zed by the neck, he hit it with several fire-fisted punches, with the last one destroying the zombie's head and sending its body flying backwards. Noticing a flying youma coming at him with an energy ball at the ready, Quackenbush quickly powered up a Fire spell.

"EXPLODET!"

He launched a star-like projectile at the flying youma, striking it in the chest and exploding in an awesome display of fire and light, completely eviscerating the youma. Keeping the fire lit, he launched another Fire spell.

"SPIRAL FLARE!"

Launching a column of flame, it struck another youma in the chest, leaving a sizable hole as it collapsed to the ground, dead. Turning around, Quackenbush launched another Spiral Flare, destroying the legs of several zombies.

As a youma tried to attack him, he blocked its swipe attack before coming back with several punches of his own, followed by a knee to the gut and finishing with another Spiral Flare, leaving a crater in the youma's chest.

Spinning around toward another youma, Quackenbush quickly powered up another spell.

"FIREBALL!"

He launched the ball of flame at his opponent. The ball struck the youma and set it ablaze, leaving nothing behind except a charred skeleton. Another youma tried to attack from behind, but Quackenbush ducked underneath and delivered several headbutts to its face, the last one striking with such force that it separated the youma's head from its body.

Quackenbush quickly grabbed a youma from behind in a waist lock. Using his raw power, he executed a German suplex on the beast, causing it to land awkwardly on its head and snapping its neck. Blocking another incoming swipe from a youma, he grabbed it by the head and squeezed, using his strength to pop the youma's head like a balloon.

Taking a moment to wipe the blood from his eyes, Quackenbush glanced up and noticed a large group of youma and zombies converging on him. Powering up another Fire spell, his body suddenly became engulfed in flame.

"FIRE CHARGE!"

Roaring like a lion, he ran at the group of monsters, shoulder blocking all of them like a football linebacker. Every creature struck by the attack exploded, raining bits of blood and flesh onto the battlefield. Not stopping, Quackenbush powered up another attack.

"LAVA PUNCH!"

His fist blazed with fire more fiercely than ever, and he launched an uppercut on a youma, completely destroying its upper body. Continuing his attack, he landed a dozen devastating punches on another youma before bringing his fists down in a double axe handle, destroying the youma's head. Spinning around, he delivered another devastating Lava Punch that eviscerated another youma's upper body.

As a giant youma came stomping towards him, Quackenbush powered up one last Fire spell.

"FLAME LANCE!"

Suddenly, a lance made of pure fire materialized in Quackenbush's hands. Throwing it like a spear, he launched the lance at the large youma. It blew completely through the youma's chest, leaving a sizable hole and causing its heart to fall into the open. As it dropped to its knees, Quackenbush grabbed his Nanbanfu Battleaxe and sliced through the youma's head, causing its face to become separated from its skull before it fell to the floor, all life ceasing from its body.

"Now this is what I call a good workout," Quackenbush quipped.


Packer continued to take down multiple zombies at once with his powerful spells and martial arts abilities. As a youma tried to attack him, Packer blocked the attack and slammed him down on his knee, where he would deliver a series of lightning fast punches, the last of which would leave the youma's head barely hanging on to what was left of its neck as it crumpled to the ground.

Packer would parry another youma's swipe, and came back with a combo of his own, delivering a series of alternating punches before suddenly throwing a glass dagger at his opponent, imbedding itself in the youma's chest and detonating, taking the youma's entire upper body with it.

As another youma tried to come in with a series of swipes, Packer dodged them all and launched a counter offensive, delivering a right punch to the gut followed by a straight left to the face. After several chops to the head, he delivered a devastating kick that separated the youma's legs from the rest of its body. As it lie squirming on the ground in pain, Packer stomped on its head to put it out of its misery.

Another youma tried to attack from behind, but Packer spun around and delivered a powerful kick that went through the youma's stomach. As the youma screamed in pain, Packer unsheathed Shiden and sliced through the youma's neck, separating its head from its body.

Packer used Shiden to slice through several more zed and youma alike, before focusing his attention on a group of youma coming at him. Sheathing Shiden, he quickly powered up a spell.

"SACRED FIRE!"

Aiming his hands at one of the youma, he launched the powerful fireball at the youma, blowing a hole in the youma's chest and killing it instantly. As the other two rushed at him, Packer quickly powered up another spell.

"THUNDERBOLT!"

The bolt of lightning struck the second youma in the chest, carrying him backward until he struck the wall of the auditorium, where it slid to the floor, dead.

The last youma jumped into the air with its claws outstretched, but Packer was ready with one more spell.

"ICE BEAM!"

The blue beam struck the youma and froze it solid. Packer stepped out of the way as the frozen youma crashed into the ground, its body shattering into pieces like glass.

Taking a look around the battlefield, he noticed that all of the zombies and youma had been eradicated. All that remained standing were the Knights.

"Mission complete," Packer said as the other Knights walked up to him.

"Not quite done yet, Packer-kun," Sachiko called out. "There's still one more youma for you to kill."

Packer glanced over to where Sachiko was pointing. Struggling to its feet was one last youma demon, with a missing left arm. Its breathing was labored as it began walking toward the Knights, intent on trying to take at least one of them down with it.

"You've got to be kidding, right?" Quackenbush said.

"Let's just put it out of its misery and be done with it," Syn remarked.

"Way ahead of you, Syn," Packer replied, as a dagger appeared in his hand. He launched it at the youma, and found its mark in the beast's chest. It began to glow with light, but just as it seemed like it was going to detonate…

PFFFT!

…the spell malfunctioned, leaving the dagger imbedded in the youma as well as a confused look on its face, as well as the Knights' faces.

"What the hell? Why didn't it go off?" Packer asked incredulously.

"Looks like that dagger was a dud, Packer," Quackenbush replied with a chuckle. Packer sighed in frustration.

"Freaking unbelievable!" he yelled. "Why does this crap always happen to me?!"

Suddenly, as if to answer his question…

"Awe, is something not explodin'? Torgue guns will fix that!"

Everyone turned toward the sound of the booming voice. Standing on the opposite side of the auditorium was a tall, muscular man, with a mustache, long brown hair, glasses over his eyes, and a t-shirt that said 'Torgue' on the front.

"Torgue?! What the hell's he doing here?!" Quackenbush exclaimed.

"You got me, Quack-attack," Rush replied. They all looked back at Torgue as he walked toward them.

"Every single shot fired from a Torgue weapon has the chance to explode," Torgue continued. "WHAT THE FUCK ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?!"

Suddenly, a logo of the Torgue Company appeared on the center of the screen before settling into the lower left-hand corner.

"Torgue! EXPLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSIONS!" Torgue yelled as random explosions came out of thin air around him. The Knights glanced at each other in confusion.

"Well, things got extremely weird in a hurry," Packer said.

Meanwhile, the youma pulled the dagger out of its chest and moaned in pain. Suddenly, Torgue flashed over to it and grabbed it by the back of the neck.

"If you don't love explosions, you're probably wearing women's underwear!" Torgue shouted, grabbing the youma's underwear and giving it a wedgie. "Just sayin'!"

"This guy is bizarre," Naho muttered to herself.

"Maybe, but he's a man after my own heart," Sachiko giggled.

"Yeah, you two would get along fine, it seems," Naho sighed as Torgue spun back over to where the Knights were where he continued his sales pitch.

"Torgue weapons include everything good in the world: Death, explosions, quality workmanship, explosions, a commitment to customer service, and the undying- AWE, FOR FUCK'S SAKE, EXPLOSIONS!" Torgue shouted.

"I think I'm beginning to like this guy," Quackenbush said with a chuckle.

"Wait, I have a question," the youma spoke. Everyone turned toward it in disbelief.

"Wait, it actually said something?" Flora asked.

"Appears that way," Tundra replied.

"TORGUE MAKES THINGS EXPLODE!" Torgue roared. "End of sales pitch!" Suddenly, he shoved a silver and red shotgun with checkered patterns on it into Packer's waiting hands.

"Whoa, a Bullpup 450 Cannonizer," Quackenbush admired. "The latest in Torgue weaponry."

"NOW GO PUNCH SOME BAD GUYS IN THE DICK!" Torgue encouraged. Packer let a smile grace his lips as he turned toward the youma and cocked his new shotgun.

"With pleasure," Packer replied. The youma suddenly began cowering as he saw the emerald knight shoot his gaze towards him.

"Wha… the hell… wha?" the youma stammered.

"Wow, looks like that youma's about to crap himself," Seiko laughed.

"What's the matter? You freaking stupid?" Packer quipped as he aimed the shotgun at the youma.

"Come on, bro!" the youma pleaded, but to no avail, as Packer began firing the shotgun. The rounds struck the youma and exploded sending it flying backwards into the wall. A few more explosive shots later, all that remained of the youma was several various body parts.

Packer exhaled on the barrel, blowing the smoke away as he admired his weapon's handiwork.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Packer said.

"You have made me proud!" Torgue beamed.

"Congratulations, Packer-kun!" Sachiko said as the force fields disappeared. "You've passed your second challenge! But you've still got five more to go, so don't get too comfortable!"

"I know, Sachiko," Packer replied. Sachiko clapped her hands together.

"Now that that's done, let's get to our next event, shall we?" she declared.

"Wonder what's in store for us now?" Satoshi wondered as the screen faded to black and the Torgue logo appeared on screen once again with an accompanying explosion and Torgue's booming voice.

"TORGUE! Do not buy Torgue guns if you are allergic to AWESOMENESS! Or polycryton plating."

"Good thing I was wearing my gloves, then," Packer remarked.

"TOODLES!" Torgue shouted as the screen faded to black.